Oak Ridge Today

Emergency workers: State your location when calling 911 from cell phone

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The Oak Ridge 911 Dispatch Center is pictured above. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

Oak Ridge emergency workers and dispatchers are urging the community to remember a potentially life-saving step when calling 911 from a cell phone: immediately state your location to the dispatcher.

“The Oak Ridge fire and police departments are working to share this important information after incidents involving cell signals were routed to the wrong 911 center, potentially delaying emergency response,” a press release said.

Emergency service organizations (fire, police, ambulance, and dispatch) and 911 callers have no control over which cell tower is used by an individual’s phone. If you are making a 911 call from your cell phone, you should always advise the dispatcher of the city and/or county you are calling from and your exact location, the press release said.

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Students at two schools send cards of appreciation to ACSD for 9/11

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ACSD 9/11 Cards

Students at Linden Elementary School and St. Mary’s School in Oak Ridge sent cards of appreciation to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department for 9/11. (Submitted photo)

 

Students at two schools in Oak Ridge sent cards of appreciation to the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department for September 11, 2015, the 14th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, in New York City, Washington, D.C., and an airplane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

“Our thanks to the students of Linden Elementary and St. Mary’s School for their cards of appreciation for September 11, 2015,” ACSD Chief Deputy Mark Lucas said. “We certainly appreciate them!” [Read more…]

Photos: 9/11 memorial ceremony at ORHS on Sept. 11

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ORHS 9/11 Memorial Moment of Silence

Oak Ridge High School students and staff and police officers and firefighters have a moment of silence at the 9/11 memorial at ORHS on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

A September 11 memorial ceremony at Oak Ridge High School paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, and it honored military personnel.

Here are pictures from the Friday morning ceremony.

ORHS 9/11 Memorial Shichen Zhang and Melissa Yuan 2015

Shichen Zhang, Student Council president, left, and Melissa Yuan, Student Council vice president, raise the United States flag to half-staff during a 9/11 ceremony at Oak Ridge High School on Friday, Sept. 11, 2015. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

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Guest column: Anderson communications center very busy during Tuesday storm

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Anderson County Commission and Mark Lucas

Anderson County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Mark Lucas is pictured above at right during a special County Commission meeting in November. Also pictured are Anderson County Commissioners Rick Meredith, center, and Jerry White.

To All:

(Tuesday) evening was very, very busy. From 3 p.m. until 11 p.m., our communications center received 589 telephone calls, of which 143 were on 911. The overwhelming number of calls were between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., when 365 calls came to our dispatch center. Of these 365 calls, 109 were on 911.

Comparing to last Tuesday from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m., we received 156 total telephone calls, of which 20 were on 911. The two-hour period from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. last week was only 41 total calls, of which five were on 911.

For the entire shift from 3 p.m. until 11 p.m., that was a 288 percent increase. For the two hours from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m., the increase was 790 percent.

We had four communications officers working (Tuesday) when the storm hit. A fifth came into work on her own to help out. Many of these 911 and non-emergency calls required dispatching of emergency personnel from law enforcement, fire, or EMS. Others required notifications to the state and county highway departments and the utility companies. It was non-stop for hours. [Read more…]

Fairly quiet during last week’s snow, but 911 calls spike in Anderson County

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911 calls to the communications center at the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department increased significantly during last week’s snow.

The Sheriff’s Department said the communications center received 429 telephone calls from 7 p.m. Wednesday to 7 p.m. Friday, and 77 of those were 911 calls. That compares to 390 calls, with 51 of those on 911 lines, during the same time period a week earlier. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge Fire Department starts assistance identification program

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ORFD Assistance Identification Program

Oak Ridge Assistant Fire Chief Josh Waldo signs up Senior Advisory Board member Dave McCoy for an assistance identification program. Looking on in the back is SAB member Al Skyberg. (Submitted photo)

The Oak Ridge Fire Department has started an assistance identification program to help improve emergency service to those in Oak Ridge who may have special needs.

During an emergency of any kind, time is extremely critical, a press release said.

“This program allows for advance notification to emergency responders of any special needs at the residence to which they are responding,” the release said. “Any Oak Ridge resident of any age with special needs is encouraged to fill out a form and be included in this program. Forms to be filled out for this purpose are available at the Oak Ridge Fire Department Headquarters and also at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. These forms are completely confidential and only available to emergency responders through the 911 system.” [Read more…]

Oak Ridge fire chief to pay tribute to 9/11, discuss firefighters

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Darryl Kerley

Darryl Kerley

Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley will reflect on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks 12 years ago during a Wednesday presentation.

Kerley’s talk is titled “What 9/11 Means to Me: Reflections of a First Responder,” a press release said.

“It is a day that has taken on personal meaning to me and my family for multiple reasons,” Kerley said. “I am deeply honored to talk about 9/11 and about the tremendous team of firefighters we have assembled here in Oak Ridge.” [Read more…]

Anderson County Emergency Communications launches new website, EALERTS

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The Anderson County Emergency Communications District has launched a new website to provide residents with 911 news and information, a press release said.

The website is online at www.ace911.net. It contains information about the district, how to prevent accidental 911 calls, when to dial 911, and Voice Over IP telephones, and 911. It also includes board meeting schedules and information on how to obtain a new address.

The ECD has also implemented a new emergency notification system called EALERTS. It’s a Web-based mobile alert messaging system designed for both emergency and non-emergency notifications for severe weather events, emergency incidents, and traffic alerts. [Read more…]